Over 109,000 Wisconsinites are blind or low vision. This number is expected to double in the next 15 to 20 years. People with vision-related disabilities face significant barriers to health care access and are vulnerable to changes in both the Medicaid and private health insurance systems. Additionally, vision loss is itself a risk factor for a range of physical and mental health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression and anxiety, and injuries from falling.
Blindness and low vision disproportionately affects women and people of color. Women comprise 59% of the older population of people with vision loss. In Wisconsin, African Americans are more than three times as likely to report vision impairment as white residents.
Budget Items
Expand Access to Vision Services for Medicaid Members
Expand the type of certified professionals who can bill Medicaid for vision services. Currently, Medicaid will pay for vision rehabilitation if the services are performed by a licensed occupational therapist (OT). Other highly qualified vision rehabilitation specialists, such as a certified low vision therapist, certified orientation and mobility specialist, certified vision rehabilitation specialist or certified access technology trainer cannot be reimbursed by Medicaid.
Establish a Voluntary Registry of Babies and Young Children with Significant Vision Loss
Families of children diagnosed with a visual condition during an eye exam would have the opportunity to be entered into an electronic system. They will then be referred to an organization equipped to provide the support they need. The registry would also provide important data to inform policymakers of the level of need statewide for vision services.
Medicaid Expansion
For years, Wisconsin has been leaving federal Medicaid dollars on the table by choosing not to accept Medicaid expansion. Expanding Medicaid would enable the state to provide coverage for thousands more individuals.
Behavioral Health Program
Provide $1.9 million in the second year of the budget to establish a behavioral health treatment program for individuals who are deaf- blind, deaf or hard of hearing.
Read the VisionServe Alliance Big Data report on older adults with vision loss.